Canada's Patrick Chan Has Bright Future If He Can Handle Expectations of His Nation

Although Patrick Chan, 19, was not able to work his way onto the podium in the men's free skate, he did give the home crowd of Vancouver reason to hope for the future. Patrick Chan is an enormously talented skater with a great chance of medaling in Sochi in 2014, as long as he learns how to handle the pressure of his nation's expectations.

Patrick Chan: Olympic Free Skate Analysis

To be sure, Patrick Chan did not perform a clean free skate. His mistakes included a fall on a triple axel at 2:15 (the bonus time) as well as fighting to save a triple-flip/triple-toe combination early in the program. Yet he managed to gain points for his clean execution on spins, spiral sequences, and footwork. He also landed some nice combination jumps including a triple-axel/double-toe and triple-lutz/double-toe/double-toe.

Patrick Chan earned a free skate score of 160.30 for a total of 241.42, strong enough to pull him up from seventh to fifth place (as reported by The Star). There's so much to like about his skating from the lines in his spirals to the positions of his spins. And movements and fluidity are far above the level of the other teenagers Denis Ten and Michal Brezina. If he can hone a few skills in the jumping department, then he's good to go for 2014.

Patrick Chan: Canada's Expectations

Canada has produced a number of talented men's figure skaters, though for some reason they've never been able to strike gold. In 2006, Jeffrey Buttle heroically came back from sixth place to earn a bronze medal after the free skate. Elvis Stojko was arguably robbed in 1994 as judges inexplicably docked his presentation marks. And in 1998, he bravely overcame a groin injury to earn his second silver medal in 1998.

In 1988, Brian Orser came so close to the gold medal but narrowly lost to Brian Boitano. Like Stojko, Orser was destined to be a two-time silver medalist. And Toller Cranston won the bronze medal in men's figure skating in 1976.

One can't blame Patrick Chan for not delivering the goods this time around. He's a teenager competing at his first Olympics and having to do it on home soil. Thankfully the Vancouver crowd was supportive no matter what.

Patrick Chan: Similar Cases

Having the weight of a nation can cause an athlete to buckle under the pressure of expectation. We saw Michelle Kwan enter both the 1998 and 2002 Olympics as the heavy favorite only to have under-the-radar compatriots Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes clinch gold at the last minute. And we saw US National Champion Jeremy Abbott choke while compatriots Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weird delivered the goods.

We've seen Andy Murray get raked over the coals by the British press every time Wimbledon or any grand slam rolls around. And British tennis fans are continually reminded about how no Briton has won a grand slam since Fred Perry in 1936. The pressure to win a major was so great that it caused the normally stoic Andy Murray to break down in tears at the Australian Open trophy ceremony this year.

Thankfully the Canadian press is not nearly as cruel as the British tabloids. No matter what happens, Canada will likely be proud of Patrick Chan just like they were of Kurt Browning. Patrick Chan will have four world championships until 2014. By the time Sochi rolls around, he'll be a seasoned veteran on the world stage and will be in prime position to medal, possibly even win gold.

Sources:

DiManno: Gloom mixed with promise for Patrick Chan, The Star

Canadian Winter Games medal winners, Montreal Gazette

Murray loses out on more than a title, BBC News